Chapter Two: The Encounter....

The building stood majestic above all others with its lofty fairy-like turrets and humungous size, ancient-looking lamps that lit up the pathway leading to her entrance into another life, a life not her own.

'The Garden', though not the best hotel in the nation, was very close to the top. It gained its fame from the absolute privacy it earned its clients with its rigorous security checks and invitation card requirements.

Its clients had to write an invitation to individuals— using cards accessible only to the person in the room— to let them into the premises.

The lobby was built far away from the vicinity of the guests such that they might be safe from the prying eyes of incoming clients or undercover reporters.

The room numbers were randomly assigned by the computer, printed and handed in an envelope to the client such that not even the receptionist knew what room which guest was in. Though the hefty amount required for a breach in confidentiality was enough to deter loose lips, the added anonymity was a much-appreciated bonus.

Its astronomical fees did much to deter any eyes that were there just for prying and capture the interest of pretentious aristocrats who believed only expensive things were good.

However, considering its level of security that extended to finding and banning anyone who spreads information about its clients—a well-known secret in the country—it was worth the price for those who came to be away from the limelight for once.

Handing over the invitation she had received from Scarlette's agent to the receptionist, Davina slowly made her way to room 205—marveling constantly at the ancient architecture of the hotel.

"...let's do that then. About finding an actress, find anyone that fits the description I gave you: I don't care if the person is an aspiring model, actress or even scriptwriter, I'll personally train her before filming starts so don't worry about the qualifications. I need everything to be perfect."

"Yes, Sir. And Sir, about the investigation you had me do, I can safely say that I'm close to finding..."

The conversation that drifted through the hallway faded away as the people turned the corner but not before she caught a glimpse of a man's back, and by jolly was it a gorgeous back.

For fear of sounding any more like a pervert, she would stop the description of the back and simply comment that it was a nice looking back and a strangely familiar one at that.

Her mind constantly trying to figure out where exactly she might have seen the man that bore that back, Davina soon reached the door she was meant to be at, and all thoughts vanished.

She knocked on the door with the little strength that she could muster and waited with bated breath for it to open.

It soon opened to reveal a lady clad in yet another suit, which had now led Davina to assume the lady could wear nothing else.

"Come on in, 'Scarlette'." She said, giving way with an irritatingly smug smile looking very much like a cat that got the milk, a smile that begged to be punched away.

"I still haven't agreed to it, so hold your horses, lady." She said, to try and keep the upper hand which she sadly never seemed to hold when in a conversation with this lady.

"Isn't your being here already a sign of agreement? No need to try and maintain a lofty appearance of one free from the struggles of the world. You need the money; I can give you that money. I need a Scarlette, and you can be her for me. So, it's a win-win for the both of us."

"Why do you sound exactly like those perverts that wanted to be my sugar daddy. It's uncanny how you even got the wording right. Have you been reading those kinds of stories before you came here?"

"I see your sense of humour, no matter how dead, is still kicking. "

"Always will be"

She scrutinized Davina and began to wonder if the burden on her had finally driven her insane.

"You're wondering if I have gone insane, aren't you? Well, one does surely have to have certain issues with one's mind to accept a dubious offer from a lady on the street and go to a hotel room with her. For all I know, you could be a human trafficker, but something tells me you're not hence my being here. A foolish being betting my life on a gut feeling, so pardon me if I'm too informal or act silly it's the brain cells in me dying due to the overload of stupidity"

"Okay…you're a strange one for sure, but I'm not hiring for your personality so, I guess we're good. So, you're ready to accept my offer I suppose?"

"Two months, that's how long I'll accept keeping up the pretence."

"Two years. Considering the amount I'm paying you, any less than this and I would be taking a loss."

"Six months and I'd have the weekends off. Considering how much money you would be making from a single appearance of Scarlette's, I'm the one making a loss."

"One year and that's final. Sign this contract, you begin tomorrow: Bring the contact with you. Send me the hospital bills and I'll deal with them."

"Before that, quick question, why do you even need to do all this, hiring a fake Scarlette and all. Can't you announce to the public that she is in the hospital and might take a year to recover?"

"I guess there is no harm in telling you this though I thought you might have figured that out already by now. Your brain cells must truly be dying of stupidity." She said with an almost pitying smile that infuriated Davina to no end, for only her family and herself were ever allowed to insult her. "The company has spent much to get Scarlette recognized worldwide, and it happened due to a single album. What follows a one-hit-wonder is what defines an idol's career quality. If she goes off now, she will truly be forgotten. If we try the pity card it may last for a while but that will soon fade. Pity doesn't last long, admiration—however—does. We need you to keep her fame stable till she recovers, or the company suffers a tremendous loss."

Her words kept echoing in Davina's head as she walked out of the hotel, paying not a single iota of interest to the architecture she had drooled over walking in or the man she had found gorgeous passing by her to get to his car revealing a face that far outshone the marvellous back and a face that she might have found lurking somewhere in the back of her mind, a face she never wished to remember for fear of awakening the buried emotions of shame and self-disgust. One she hid deep in the crevices of the organ she called a heart.